Dice? = Is that so?

Question

I have heard the following dialogue between a politician and a gangster in a TV series:

G: Lei è un vero rappresentante del popolo.
P: Esatto. Solo che non rappresento quelli come lei.
G: Dice? Penso che io posso anche averla votata.
P: Lo escludo.

What does "dice" mean here? "Is that so" ? Is it an usual expression?

I have answered about dice, but there is something amiss elsewhere. The first sentence doesn't really work. It should be either “Non rappresento persone come lei” or “Non rappresento quelli come lei” or, in a rather involute way, “Non rappresento persone di quelle come lei”. And after “Dice?” it probably is “Pensi che...” — DaG, Oct 07 '19 at 15:45
@DaG I had (incorrectly) changed that first line in order to shorten the copied dialogue. I have fixed it now. — Alan Evangelista, Oct 07 '19 at 15:52

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 07 '19 at 15:43

Yes, it is. It literally means “Do you say (so)?” or, as you say, “Is that so?” or “Are you sure?”.

Dice is here the 3rd person singular of the present tense of dire. It's the 3rd person and not the 2nd since the two are using the courtesy form, Lei.

Dice? = Is that so?

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